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The Mandalorian Reportedly Features Classic Star Wars Bounty Hunters

The Mandalorian reportedly will feature classic Star Wars bounty hunters IG-88 and Bossk. Those two were among the several mercenaries hired by Darth Vader to track down the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back, and despite their minimal screen time, they've become fan-favorite characters over the past several decades. With the Star Wars franchise looking beyond the confines of the episodic Skywalker saga and now in the business of producing spinoffs that further flesh out the canon, figures like Bossk and IG-88 seemed ripe to be explored.

Indeed, the powers that be at Lucasfilm seemed to be interested in bringing the bounty hunters back to the screen in one form or another. Solo co-writer Jonathan Kasdan tried to include Bossk in this summer's prequel, but settled for a simple name drop instead. Additionally, it was reported multiple Empire bounty hunters would have appeared in the now defunct Boba Fett anthology film. But now, the studio may finally get the opportunity to bring these characters back thanks to their first foray into live-action television.

Making Star Wars reports both IG-88 and Bossk should be in The Mandalorian. The former is allegedly getting in on the action, with word from the set mentioning "blasters being fired" as the droid bounty hunter zooms on speeder bikes and does battle. In the case of the latter, Making Star Wars cannot definitively confirm that Bossk is part of the show, but there's apparently a Trandoshan (Bossk's species) involved, so it wouldn't be out of the question.

While IG-88 and Bossk's participation in The Mandalorian has not been confirmed by Lucasfilm yet, it wouldn't be surprising if this turned out to be true. One of the few plot details fans know about the Disney Plus series is that it's set in a lawless corner of the galaxy, between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens, so viewers should expect to see Pedro Pascal's titular lone gunman cross paths with other unsavory types. Of course, the show will most definitely add plenty of new faces to the canon, but the modern Star Wars projects have a knack for mixing in blasts from the past. With a bounty hunter film an increasingly unlikely proposition, The Mandalorian could be the best way for some of these old favorites to return in a manner that feels organic. It's unknown how substantial IG-88's or Bossk's role would be at this juncture.

It'll be interesting to see what other classic Star Wars elements are included in The Mandalorian. Earlier set photos highlighted stormtroopers and death troopers, indicating there would be a minor Imperial presence, at the very least. When it comes to their cinematic ventures in a galaxy far, far away, Lucasfilm is looking to new horizons post-Episode IX with both Rian Johnson's trilogy and David Benioff & D.B. Weiss' series telling stories separate from the Skywalker saga. But it looks like they're using the TV platform to add to the already rich legacy of the familiar narrative, as evidenced by The Mandalorian and the recently announced Cassian Andor prequel series.